The men who found fame after the Boat Race - Telegraph The men who found fame after the Boat Race 9:22PM GMT 21 Mar 2002 Tim Foster Part of the 1997 Oxford crew, went on to win gold in the fours at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney "I've rowed in one Boat Race - for Oxford in 1997 - and I lost. I think the event does a fantastic job for rowing. People with no connection to Oxford or Cambridge or rowing come down to the river to watch, or put a bet on, or sit and watch it on TV.' Lord Moynihan Cox for Oxford in 1977, went on to win a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, before later becoming Conservative Minister for Sport "From the cox's seat it is, in many respects, the ultimate challenge. At the Olympics, all the coaching, tactics and motivational work are important, but the tidal conditions on the Thames are such that a huge degree of preparation is needed. There is a stream of about six to 10ft that runs much faster than the rest.

I was certainly lucky to be part of a great crew in 1977." Matthew Pinsent Rowed for Oxford in 1990, 1991 and 1993, twice winning, and has since won three Olympic golds "It's absolutely tremendous to be involved in the Boat Race - I've rowed in three and my best memory is probably winning in 1991, both because it's the last one I won and because I got on so well with the other guys in the boat. We had a 10-year reunion last year and we went out for a crew paddle on the Sunday morning after the race. The race has huge tradition, it is all-or-nothing out there for the crews and the elements play such a large part." Lord Snowdon Coxed the 1950 Cambridge crew to victory, subsequently became a celebrated photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair and later married Princess Margaret "I have many happy memories. In my day as a cox, in order to keep our weight down we used to shovel malt in a brewery in a steamy atmosphere, wearing several sweaters.

You could lose a stone in a hour, though the only problem was that you usually put it straight back on when re-hydrated. The boats were different then - we had to use our own voices as there were no microphones or megaphones and it was all to do with timing to get the crew moving and accelerating together. Thankfully we won the 1950 Boat Race, because for a cox there is nothing worse than losing, as you will inevitably be blamed.' Sir Steve Redgrave The five-times Olympic gold medallist, who didn't qualify to row in the Boat Race..... "I think the Boat Race is extremely important. It's one of the oldest traditional races we have. It's iconic within the sport and has tremendous support - everyone turns on their TV to watch. It's a very special, magical race over the Championship Course." Other famous names who have rowed in the Boat Race W B, John and James Close, who founded Close Brothers, the financial institution, were all former Blues. W B was part of the Cambridge crew adjudged to have finished in a dead heat with Oxford in 1877.

Sandy Irvine rowed for Oxford in 1922 and 1923 and, a year later, embarked on the fateful British attempt to climb Mount Everest. Both he and another mountaineer died near the summit, but it is not known whether this was on the ascent or the descent. Hugh Laurie, who rowed for the 1980 Cambridge crew that narrowly lost by a canvas to Oxford, is more famous as a comic, actor and playwright, in particular with Blackadder, Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. Sir Robert Walmsley, KCB, was cox of the 1962 Cambridge crew. He joined the Navy in 1958 and earned the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1990. He was appointed Chief of Defence procurement in 1996. Lord Bruce of Melbourne, who rowed for Cambridge in 1907, embarked on a career in politics, becoming Prime Minister of Australia between 1923 and 1929. He was descibed as "the most English of Australians".

Charles Wordsworth, who was co-founder of the Boat Race and rowed for Oxford in the first race in 1829, was nephew of the poet William Wordsworth and later became Bishop of St Andrews. Rupert Obholzer is perhaps best known for his controversial decision, as umpire, to re-start last year's race, but he also created a stir when he made gestures to the opposing crew after stroking the 1991 Oxford crew to victory. He is a top London-based surgeon. Famous Famous People (Rowers/Scullers/Coxswains Who Became Famous) Occasionally, people ask about rowers/scullers/cox'ns who became famous people. The following is an attempt to develop a list. If you can think of anyone to add, please send a message with name, place rowed/sculled/coxed and why they're widely known. bmiller@rowinghistory.net Oliver Wendel Holmes (poet) sculler on Charles River, Boston Dean Acheson (Secretary of State) rowed at Yale Anderson Cooper (news journalist) coxed at Yale Pierre deCourbertin (founded Modern Olympics) Anita DeFranz (USOC/IOC) rowed at Conn.

College David T. de Varona (heart surgeon & father of Donna de Varona) rowed at Cal-Berkeley with Gregory Peck Charles Eliot (Harvard president) rowed at Harvard Averill Harriman (statesman) rowed at Yale Stephen Hawking (physicist) coxed at Oxford Graham Hill (Formula One champion) stroked London RC VIII 1953 Richard Hillary (UK WWII pilot/hero, author) rowed at Oxford Jake Kilrain (boxer) aka John Killion, 1883 stripped of NAAO sculling championship Hugh Laurie (actor/comedian) rowed at Eton/Cambridge/Henley RR/Jr. Worlds John Lehman (Secretary of the Navy) George Mallory (d. 1924 Mt. Everest expedition) rowed at Magdalene College & Andrew Irvine (d.

1924 Mallory's climbing partner) rowed at Merton College/Boat-Race 1923 & 1923 William Middendorf (Secretary of the Navy) rowed at Harvard Lord Colin Moynihan (British Minister of Sport) coxswain, 1980 Olympic silver medallist Admiral Chester Nimitz, stroked Navy 1905 Edward Norton (actor) rowed at Yale Elton (Gregory) Peck (film star) rowed at Cal-Berkeley 1936 Robert McNamara (Sec. Defense) rowed at Cal-Berkeley 1935 Admiral Robert E. Perry (explorer) rowed at Bowdoin College, 1877 Vincent L Price (actor) rowed freshman crew at Yale, Class of 1933 Robert Reich (Clinton administration Secretary of Labor) coxed at Dartmouth Stanley Resor (Secretary of the Army) rowed at Yale Teddy Roosevelt (U.S.

President) sculled at Harvard Leverett Saltonstall (Governor/US Senator of Massachusetts) rowed at Harvard George A Selwyn (1st Bishop of New Zealand (1841-1867) rowed for Cambridge in the 1st Boat-Race (1829) Capt. Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (astronaut) rowed at Navy Dan Snow (UK TV presenter/historian) rowed at Cambridge Lord Snowdon (UK photographer, married Princess Margaret) coxed Cambridge in 1950 Boat Race Dr. Benjamin Spock (baby MD/author) rowed at Yale-Gold Medal 1924 John L.

Sullivan (boxer) sculler Steve "Crusher" Casey (wrestler) 1936 All-England rowing champ & disqualified after winning GB Olympic trials King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (ruled Tonga 1967-2006) rowed "at school" William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) rowed at Cambridge Payne Whitney (investments) rowed at Yale Dean Witter (investments) rowed at Cal-Berkeley Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (Social Network movie fame) rowed Harvard/2008 US Olympic Team/2010 Boat Race Julian Clary (UK actor/entertainer) coxed for Kingston Bradley Cooper (actor) rowed at Georgetown Bram Stoker (actor of Dracula) coxed in Ireland Rudolph Hess (Nazi deputy Furher) coxed in Germany John F. Lehman, Jr.

(Secretary of the Navy) rowed at Cambridge Olaf V (Prince/King Norway) rowed Balliol/Oxford 1924 Harold V (Prince/King Norway) rowed Balliol/Oxford 1960 Bruce McLaren (race car driver/manufacturer) rowed in New Zealand Albert deLande Long (builder of Tyne Bridge & Sydney Harbour Bridge) Wingfield Sculls champ 1869 & 1870 R C Sherriff (author Journeys End, script Goodbye Mr. Chips & Dam Busters) Kingston School BC Lord Bruce of Melbourne (Australia Prime Minister 1923-29) rowed at Cambridge 1907 The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race People Connected to Oxfordshire Top Surnames history The Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England.

It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, from 2010–2012 for sponsorship reasons as the Xchanging Boat Race, and from 2013 as the BNY Mellon Boat Race. It usually takes place on the last Saturday of March or the first Saturday of April. The Boat Race founders were Charles Merrivale and Charles Wordsworth References: Foundations of The Boat Race The race came about when two friends from Harrow School, Charles Wordsworth (nephew of the poet William Wordsworth), of Christ Church College, Oxford, and Charles Merrivale of St. John’s, Cambridge, met during the vacation in Cambridge, where Wordsworth’s father was master of Trinity. Wordsworth went rowing on the Cam, and the two school fellows decided to set up a challenge.

On February 10 1829 a meeting of CUBC requested Mr Snow of St John’s to write immediately to Mr Staniforth of Christ Church stating ‘that the University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the ensuing Easter vacation.’ Staniforth and Snow had been schoolfellows and boating comrades at Eton. Consequently some of the arrangements changed so the first race eventually took place on 10 June 1829 at Henley on Thames. Oxford won this first race easily, their winning boat can still be seen in the River & Rowing Museum in Henley. For the next 25 years contests only happened on an irregular basis, moving to London for the second race in 1836. 1830 - 1855 Following the first race in Henley in 1829 the next twenty five years only saw irregular races. The second race in the series was rowed between Westminster to Putney as were the next five up to 1842.

The course was altered for the next race in 1845 which saw the first Putney to Mortlake race, though three subsequent races, 1846, 1856, 1863 were rowed on the ebb tide from Mortlake to Putney. The last of these 12 irregular meetings was in 1854 prior to the race becoming an annual event in 1856. In 1849, after a gap of two years and for the only time, there were two races. The first in March from Putney to Mortlake was won by Cambridge ‘easily’. Oxford felt that their craft was a major factor in their defeat and challenged Cambridge to a further race in December. This second race of 1849 is the only time in the series to date that the boat race was decided by a disqualification, following a foul by Cambridge at the finish. The eleventh race in 1852 saw the great Oxonian Joseph Chitty as president and stroke.

This race was at the height of the argument which had started in 1846 about the use of professional coaches and steersman and which was the biggest factor in the decision to settle for amateur coaches (mainly old blues), a decision which held for more than a century. Cambridge were coached by the waterman Bob Coombes, who instructed his crew to take the inside arch under Hammersmith Bridge. Oxford a technically excellent crew, were coached by Thomas Egan, the Cambridge amateur coach who had offered his services to Oxford because of the Cambridge employment of Coombes. Oxford took the traditional centre arch. Cambridge lost the stream and a considerable margin by this manoeuvre, and lost the race by six lengths. Egan of Caius and Arthur Shadwell of Balliol exerted a great influence on university rowing. They developed the longer smoother style used by early amateurs as opposed to the choppy stroke of the professional waterman. Racing was still undertaken in cutters and gigs with fixed seats. Limited sliding was sometimes achieved by oarsmen greasing the seats of their trousers or the use of sheepskin covers on the seats.

The oars had heavy square shafts and narrow blades, some only about two inches wide which could easily break. There was no button to hold them into the rowlocks which consisted of two thole-pins projecting from the gunwale. These were subsequently incorporated into the boat itself for greater strength. The benefit of long leverage on the oars was recognised early, and the boats were broad in beam to allow the oarsmen to sit on the opposite side of the boat to their rowlocks and reach past the man in front at the start of the stroke. In 1846 the introduction of outriggers allowed boats to become much narrower. The twelfth and final race of this irregular period took place in April 1854 and again resulted in a win for Oxford. Of the twelve races thus far, Cambridge had won seven and Oxford five. Famous Oarsmen Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE - perhaps the most distinguished oarsman ever to compete in The Boat Race. He was in the Oxford Blue Boat in 1990, 91 & 93, winning twice but was losing President in 1993.

In 1992 he missed out on a Blue to take time to win his first Olympic Gold with Steve Redgrave at the Barcelona Olympics. He went on to win 3 more golds, two with Blues; in 2000 with Oxford's Tim Foster and in 2004 with Oxford's Ed Coode. In 2011 Pinsent returned to the Boat Race appearing in and winning his first Veterans Race. He also umpired that years Isis/Goldie race. Hugh Laurie Actor and Comedian Cambridge 1980 Hugh Laurie rowed in the Cambridge Blue Boat in 1980. His father Ran Laurie had stroked Cambridge to victory between 1934-36 and won a Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Laurie had been a GB Junior International while at Eton, however his Cambridge crew narrowly lost in an exciting race featuring clashes of blades and the collapse of the Oxford bow man. This was Laurie's only Boat Race before the lure of the 'footlights' led him into his distinguished career.

Lord (Colin) Moynihan Chairman of the British Olympic Association Colin Moynihan was a double blue coxing the victorious Oxford crew in the 1977 Boat Race and boxing against Cambridge in the Bantamweight division. He beat Benazir Bhutto to win the Presidency of the Oxford Union in 1976. In the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games he was cox for the GB men's VIII winning a silver medal. Moynihan became an MP in 1983 and was MInister for Sport between 1987-1990. He is an hereditary Peer but was elected to stay in the House of Lords in 2000 where he has been a Conservative spokesman on Sport and Foreign Affairs. In 2005 The 4th Baron Moynihan became Chairman of the British Olympic Association for the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Boris Rankov rowed in more Boat Races than any other athlete Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (MA 1980, DPhil 1987), Boris Rankov is best known for leading Oxford to victory six times between 1978 and 1983, three times in the 4 seat and three times in the 5 seat. This led to the establishment of the so-called Rankov Rule, which states that oarsmen will compete in the race no more than four times as an undergraduate and no more than four times as a graduate. Rankov has however, umpired the race in 2003, 2005 and 2009. He is currently a professor of Roman history at Royal Holloway, University of London. Sue Brown The first woman to compete in the Boat Race On April 4th 1981 Sue Brown became the first woman to participate in The Boat Race, as cox of the Oxford Blue Boat, a task she repeated in 1982, winning on both occassions. Since then both clubs have used female coxes to steer their crews.

The first woman cox in the Cambridge Blue Boat was Henrietta Shaw in 1985. The first time both crews were coxed by women was 1989, the dark blues with Alison Norrish, the light blues with Leigh Weiss. Legendary Oxford coach Dan Topolski Dan Topolski as an oarsman won the 1967 and lost the 1968 Boat Race, he was also a highly successful lightweight international. He is best known as the Oxford coach between 1973-1987. Of his fifteen Boat Races in charge, Oxford won twelve including an unbroken run of ten victories between 1976 and 1985. This run of success and its continuation after Topolski's departure brought Oxford to a point in 1992 where they had won sixteen of the last seventeen races and were within one victory of equalling Cambridge's overall total of wins. He departed in 1987, sparked by the infamous 'mutiny' and inspiring his book True Blue. He is currently Oxford's coxing advisor and provides analysis for the BBC on Boat Race day.

Dan Snow author & TV historian - Dan Snow won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships prior to studying at Balliol, Oxford. He appeared 3 times in the Oxford Blue Boat between 1999-2001. He was the losing President in the controversial 2001 race where the umpire stopped the crews following a clash of blades. His father is TV journalist Peter Snow but Dan has carved out his own highly successful career in TV following his double first in Modern History. He is well known for his appearances on The One Show and for presenting numerous history programmes. He is the author of Death or Victory: the Battle of Quebec and the birth of Empire and has won a number of BAFTA and Sony Awards. The Winklevoss twins Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss, identical American twin brothers rowed in the 2010 losing Oxford Blue Boat. They had rowed in the 2008 Olympic Games coming 6th in the coxless pair and had distinguished careers at Harvard. Their chief claim to fame however is as the disputed joint founders of the Facebook social network. Having founded a Harvard based network with the assistance of Mark Zuckerburg they saw Zuckerburg's Facebook take off.

Litigation followed and it is reported that the Winklevoss brothers settled for upwards of $50 million. The tale of their part in the launch of Facebook plays a large part in the film The Social Network, where the twins are played by one actor Andrew (Sandy) Irvine Mountaineer & Adventurer - Sandy Irvine was mountaineer George Mallory's summit partner on the ill-fated British Everest Expedition of 1924. It is thought likely that he and Mallory were the first men to reach the mountain's peak, but died during the descent. An outstanding oarsman, he rowed for Merton College, Oxford and in the losing Dark Blue Boat of 1922 and the winning Boat in 1923. He was also a wild boy with a streak of fearlessness that exasperated his parents and delighted his friends. He had a passionate love affair with his best friend’s step mother, made the first crossing of the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in 1923 and perhaps, just perhaps climbed to the top of the world 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary. Irvine's story is told in the book Fearless on Everest by Julie Somers.

Stanley Muttlebury Cambridge produced one of the legends of the Boat Race and of rowing worldwide, Stanley Muttlebury ("Muttle"), whose crew won the race in the first four of the five years he was a member, 1886–1890. Contemporaries writing to The Times to add to his 1933 obituary called attention to his extraordinary physical prowess and natural aptitude for rowing, traits accompanied by mildness, good manners, and natural kindness. R.P.P. Rowe wrote: Muttlebury had a natural aptitude which amounted to a genius for rowing, and, as he was not only massively large and full of courage but herculean in muscular strength, it was inevitable that he should be an outstanding exponent of oarsmanship. Added to this, he came to his prime when rowing was in a transitional stage, when the old methods of the straight back and the body catch suited to the fixed seat and the short slide, had necessarily to be superseded by methods required by the long-slide. I consider that long-slide rowing sprang suddenly to perfection in Muttlebury, that on him this new (or partially new) art was built...

W B, John and James Close, who founded Close Brothers, the financial institution, were all former Blues. W B was part of the Cambridge crew adjudged to have finished in a dead heat with Oxford in 1877. Sir Robert Walmsley, KCB, was cox of the 1962 Cambridge crew. He joined the Navy in 1958 and earned the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1990. He was appointed Chief of Defence procurement in 1996. Lord Bruce of Melbourne, who rowed for Cambridge in 1907, embarked on a career in politics, becoming Prime Minister of Australia between 1923 and 1929. He was descibed as "the most English of Australians". Rupert Obholzer is perhaps best known for his controversial decision, as umpire, to re-start last year's race, but he also created a stir when he made gestures to the opposing crew after stroking the 1991 Oxford crew to victory. He is a top London-based surgeon.

1997 (Oxford) Luka Grubor 1998 (Oxford) Ed Coode 1999, 2001, 2006-07 (Cambridge) Kieran West The Cancer Research UK Boat Races - Personalities Personalities Multi-Olympic Gold Medalist Matthew Pinsent Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE is perhaps the most distinguished oarsman ever to compete in The Boat Race. He was in the Oxford Blue Boat in 1990, 91 & 93, winning twice but was losing President in 1993. In 1992 he missed out on a Blue to take time to win his first Olympic Gold with Steve Redgrave at the Barcelona Olympics. He went on to win 3 more golds, two with Blues; in 2000 with Oxford's Tim Foster and in 2004 with Oxford's Ed Coode. In 2011 Pinsent returned to the Boat Race appearing in and winning his first Veterans Race. He was the umpire for The 2013 BNY Mellon Boat Race.

Sir Matthew with his gold Olympic medals World Champion and Olympic Silver Medallist Cath Bishop Cath Bishop became World Champion in 2003 with Katherine Grainger in the coxless pair, going on to win Silver at the Athens Olympic Games of 2004. Cath competed in two Boat Races, those of 1991 and 1993. She describes losing the 1991 Women's Boat Race as the trigger for her ultimate success in the sport, helping her to realise how much winning meant. Cath learned to row whilst at Pembroke College and was on her year abroad for the 1992 race. Leaving Cambridge with a win and a loss, she went on to win her first World Championship medal in 1999 (Silver) in Cologne in the coxless pair. She currently holds the position of Chair at Cambridge University Women's Boat Club. Cath Bishop (L) with Katherine Grainger, having won Silver in Athens Actor & Comedian Hugh Laurie Cambridge 1980 Hugh Laurie rowed in the Cambridge Blue Boat in 1980.

His father Ran Laurie had stroked Cambridge to victory between 1934-36 and won a Gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Laurie had been a GB Junior International while at Eton, however his Cambridge crew narrowly lost in an exciting race featuring clashes of blades and the collapse of the Oxford bow man. This was Laurie's only Boat Race before the lure of the 'footlights' led him into his distinguished career. Hugh Laurie training in the 1980 Cambridge crew Lord (Colin) Moynihan Chairman of the British Olympic Association Colin Moynihan was a double blue coxing the victorious Oxford crew in the 1977 Boat Race and boxing against Cambridge in the Bantamweight division. He beat Benazir Bhutto to win the Presidency of the Oxford Union in 1976. In the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games he was cox for the GB men's VIII winning a silver medal. Moynihan became an MP in 1983 and was MInister for Sport between 1987-1990.

He is an hereditary Peer but was elected to stay in the House of Lords in 2000 where he has been a Conservative spokesman on Sport and Foreign Affairs. In 2005 The 4th Baron Moynihan became Chairman of the British Olympic Association for the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Moynihan in 1977 shoveling hops at the Young's brewery in order to lose weight Boris Rankov rowed in more Boat Races than any other athlete Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (MA 1980, DPhil 1987), Boris Rankov is best known for leading Oxford to victory six times between 1978 and 1983, three times in the 4 seat and three times in the 5 seat. This led to the establishment of the so-called Rankov Rule, which states that oarsmen will compete in the race no more than four times as an undergraduate and no more than four times as a graduate. Rankov has however, umpired the race in 2003, 2005 and 2009.

He is currently a professor of Roman history at Royal Holloway, University of London. Boris Rankov following one of his six victories Sue Brown, the first woman to compete in the Boat Race On April 4th 1981 Sue Brown became the first woman to participate in The Boat Race, as cox of the Oxford Blue Boat, a task she repeated in 1982, winning on both occassions. Since then both clubs have used female coxes to steer their crews. The first woman cox in the Cambridge Blue Boat was Henrietta Shaw in 1985. The first time both crews were coxed by women was 1989, the dark blues with Alison Norrish, the light blues with Leigh Weiss. Sue Brown Oxford cox 1981-82 Legendary Oxford coach Dan Topolski Dan Topolski as an oarsman won the 1967 and lost the 1968 Boat Race, he was also a highly successful lightweight international. He is best known as the Oxford coach between 1973-1987, winning twelve of fifteen races, including an unbroken run of ten victories from 1976.

This run of success and its continuation after Topolski's departure brought Oxford to a point in 1992 where they had won sixteen of the last seventeen races and were within one victory of equalling Cambridge's overall total of wins. He departed in 1987, sparked by the infamous 'mutiny' and inspiring his book True Blue. He was Oxford's coxing advisor and provided analysis for the BBC on Boat Race day. Daniel Topolski passed away on February 21st 2015, aged 69. Oxford's Dan Toploski on the Tideway during his 15 year coaching tenure Dan Snow author & TV historian Dan Snow won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships prior to studying at Balliol, Oxford. He appeared 3 times in the Oxford Blue Boat between 1999-2001. He was the losing President in the controversial 2001 race where the umpire stopped the crews following a clash of blades. His father is TV journalist Peter Snow but Dan has carved out his own highly successful career in TV following his double first in Modern History. He is well known for his appearances on The One Show and for presenting numerous history programmes.

He is the author of Death or Victory: the Battle of Quebec and the birth of Empire and has won a number of BAFTA and Sony Awards. TV historian, author and former Oxford President Dan Snow The Winklevoss twins Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss, identical American twin brothers rowed in the 2010 losing Oxford Blue Boat. They had rowed in the 2008 Olympic Games coming 6th in the coxless pair and had distinguished careers at Harvard. Their chief claim to fame however is as the disputed joint founders of the Facebook social network. Having founded a Harvard based network with the assistance of Mark Zuckerburg they saw Zuckerburg's Facebook take off. Litigation followed and it is reported that the Winklevoss brothers settled for upwards of $50 million. The tale of their part in the launch of Facebook plays a large part in the film The Social Network, where the twins are played by one actor. Cameron (L) & Tyler Winklevoss, made famous by the film The Social Network Andrew (Sandy) Irvine, Mountaineer & Adventurer Sandy Irvine was mountaineer George Mallory's summit partner on the ill-fated British Everest Expedition of 1924.

It is thought likely that he and Mallory were the first men to reach the mountain's peak, but died during the descent. An outstanding oarsman, he rowed for Merton College, Oxford and in the losing Dark Blue Boat of 1922 and the winning Boat in 1923. He was also a wild boy with a streak of fearlessness that exasperated his parents and delighted his friends. He had a passionate love affair with his best friend’s step mother, made the first crossing of the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in 1923 and perhaps, just perhaps climbed to the top of the world 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary. Irvine's story is told in the book Fearless on Everest by Julie Somers. Andrew (Sandy) Irvine. Image by permission of the Warden and Fellows of Merton College Oxford ©Merton College Oxford, this image may not be copied or downloaded Watch Hugh Laurie | Inside the Actors Studio Inside the Actors Studio Hugh Laurie Season 12 | AIRED: Jul 31 12/11c Hugh Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, where he took a degree in anthropology.

He also rowed in the University Boat Race of 1980, and would have continued in the sport but for a bout of glandular fever, which led him to convalesce in the gentler environs of the theater. He was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue, where he produced The Cellar Tapes along with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. The show won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival of 1981 and got all three of them acting for money. Laurie has starred in a number of groundbreaking British television comedy series, including four seasons of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, which he co-wrote for the BBC with Stephen Fry; three seasons of Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, and three seasons of Saturday Live. Four seasons of Jeeves and Wooster, based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, aired on PBS'sMasterpiece Theatre from 1990-'95.

Laurie's film credits include Peter's Friends directed by Kenneth Branagh, Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson, Cousin Bette with Jessica Lange, The Man in the Iron Mask, 101 Dalmatians, Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 with Geena Davis, and the upcoming 20th Century Fox release Flight of the Phoenix with Dennis Quaid. On American TV, Laurie played Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the U.S. network telefilm Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows. He also appeared in Tracy Takes On and Friends. He is best known for his role as Dr. Gregory House in the hit medical drama, House M.D. In addition to acting, Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, composed and recorded numerous original songs and written articles for London's The Daily Telegraph. Four volumes of A Bit of Fry and Laurie scripts have been published by Mandarin and his first novel, The Gun Seller, was published in both the UK and the U.S. to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay for MGM.

Oarsome Boat Race: Putney Oarsome Boat Race: Putney Kate Miranda, Thursday 17 March 2016 The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race is one of the biggest days of the year for Putney. Organisers are expecting more than 300,000 spectators. With a four mile-long course there are many pubs, restaurants and bridges along the embankment where you can enjoy the race. Sporting history will be made this year when the BNY Mellon Boat Race is joined on the Tideway for the first time by the Newton Women’s Boat Race. Spectator's Guide Pre-race drinks: The Duke’s Head, Putney is located just by Putney Bridge, making it the perfect place to watch the start of the race. They don’t take bookings so arrive early for a good spot. There will also be entertainment including a BBQ, DJs, live bands and a Boat Race Survival Guide to help you navigate around the pub and its facilities. 8 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, SW15 1JN, 020 8788 2552. Next door is a Boat Race favourite, the Star and Garter.

It is always heaving and great fun on race day. 4 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, SW15 1JN 020 8788 0345. Family views: The Towpath Putney Embankment offers superb views in both directions. Although still crowded, it is easier to get a good view compared to the starting line. Great views up to Hammersmith Bridge. A view from the bridge: Putney Bridge and Hammersmith Bridge will give you amazing views but are guaranteed to be packed with lots of people so it’s best to arrive very early. Hammersmith: The competition for a space at The Blue Anchor is almost as fierce as the race itself. Just next to the bridge, it’s a top spot for race day. 13 Lower Mall, Hammersmith, W6 9DJ, 020 8748 5774 The neighbouring and larger Rutland Arms is a popular pub to enjoy the race offering great food and great views. 15 Lower Mall, Hammersmith, W6 9DJ 020 8748 5586. Fulham: Picnic in the park.

On the northern side of the river, Bishop’s Park in Fulham (near the start of the race) and Furnival Gardens in Hammersmith (located midrace) will both be hosting family-friendly events with giant TV screens to watch the race. Food and drink stalls will be open from 12 noon until 7pm. Barnes: The White Hart is located on the bank of the River and has a fantastic beer garden as well as picnic tables on the Embankment. The viewing doesn’t get any better. The Terrace, Riverside, Barnes, SW13 0NR, 020 8876 5177 The Bulls Head is perfectly located for the race with great views from the 1st floor balcony. Hang around after the race and enjoy live music by Katriona Taylor & Her Band. 373 Londsdale Road, Barnes, SW13 9PY, 020 8876 5241. A special supper: The Depot Riverside Bar and Restaurant has fantastic views of the river – and is situated on the last leg of the boat race which means a great spot to catch the closing minutes of the race.

The restaurant will be serving drinks and nibbles prior to the race from 5.15pm, and a special supper after the race from around 6.45pm. See our food review on page 84. Tideway Yard, Mortlake High Street, Barnes, SW14 8SN 020 8878 9462. Chiswick: The finish line! Nothing beats seeing the winner cross the line but expect huge crowds. The Old Ship is the closest pub to the finishing line. It’s an 18th century river pub with a fantastic beer garden overlooking the boat race finishing line.

10 Thames Bank, Chiswick, SW14 7QR, 020 8876 1439 4-mile course from Putney to Mortlake Raced upstream - designed to start on the incoming flood tide The Boat Race is among the oldest sporting events in the world First raced in 1829 in Henley on Thames The present course was adopted in 1845 The only dead heat occurred in 1877 Actor Hugh Laurie rowed for Cambridge in 1980 Bny Mellon Boat Races The Boat Race and Grand National show we're creatures of tradition - Telegraph Boat Race 2015 The Boat Race and Grand National show we're creatures of tradition As we look forward to a double bill of racing and rowing this weekend, Allan Massie considers the strange appeal of these quintessential British events The Grand National is an unpredictable event - perhaps part of the appeal? Photo: PA By Allan Massie Comments Huge crowds will line the Thames between Putney and Mortlake to watch the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race . Aintree will be thronged for the steeplechase’s most popular spectacle, the Grand National .

Both events will be televised worldwide and, at least in the case of the Boat Race, foreigners may scratch their heads and wonder why this event has so long attracted so much public interest here in Britain. Perhaps, they may think - especially if the race result is clear when the boats have covered little more than a quarter of the course - it is all something to do with our famously odd sense of humour. The Boat Race and the National are not the oldest events in our sporting calendar; The Derby and the other flat-race Classics precede them. Nevertheless, by sporting standards, their antiquity is remarkable. Cambridge power through the water in 2014 (REUTERS) The first Boat Race was rowed in 1829, the first Grand National run ten years later. So they are both older than the founding of the Football Association and the drawing-up of the Laws of football, older than the Calcutta Cup, older than Test cricket , older than The Open golf championship , older than Wimbledon , older than professional boxing’s Queensberry Rules, older than the (modern) Olympic Games .

They are, like the Beefeaters at the Tower of London, the Chelsea Pensioners and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, evidence of our deep attachment to established tradition. In one sense they are both a bit like the FA Cup Final. There’s a romance about them. Everyone accepts, if sometimes reluctantly, that whichever club wins the English Premiership is that season’s best. But the FA Cup may be won by a team that is no more than average but has enjoyed the luck of a good draw and displayed the ability to win knock-out matches. •Grand National 2015: runners and riders guide Likewise nobody would pretend that the winning Boat Race crew is of Olympic standard. It is made up amateur oarsmen, undergraduates or post-graduate students. There is an occasional Olympian among them (usually from abroad) and others may go on to row in the Olympics, but neither university crew is of top international standard. Forty horses will start the Grand National, but they won’t include the best steeplechasers in this country or Ireland.

Seabass takes the final fence in the 2012 Grand National (GETTY IMAGES) Steeplechasing’s Blue Riband event is the Cheltenham Gold Cup , and Gold Cup winners are very rarely entered in the National. Arkle, the greatest of all chasers , never ran at Aintree; his owner, Anne, Duchess of Westminster, was never going to risk him in the hurly-burly of the Grand National. Indeed only two Gold Cup winners have ever won the National - the great Golden Miller eighty years ago and L’Escargot in 1975 when he was aged 12 and past his best. It’s not surprising. The winner of the first Grand National in 1839 was called Lottery, an absolutely appropriate name, for that is indeed what the race is: a lottery that may be won by almost anyone. This too is part of its attraction; anything can happen. A long-odds winner is not unusual.

In 1967 more than half the field fell at the usually innocuous 23rd fence, and the race was won by the little-regarded Foinavon at 100-1; he had been almost 100 yards behind the leaders when the pile-up happened. History and tradition are then part of the reason why the Boat Race and the Grand National continue to attract so much attention. But it‘s also because both events are out of the ordinary. The course from Putney to Mortlake is four and a half miles long, while the standard Olympic distance is 2000 metres, around a third of that length. Then the Boat Race takes place on a tidal river where knowledge of the currents and the ability to make best use of them are of the first importance, not on a smooth lake. The water is often choppy and can be very rough, especially if a wind is blowing. Likewise, at almost the same distance of four and a half miles and with 30 fences to be jumped, the Grand National is much longer than most steeplechases. The field, though now limited to 40, is much bigger too. Chance plays a big part in both events.

It’s not always the cream that rises to the top, but the one whom fortune favours. Racing fans at Aintree On the face of it, the great public interest in the Boat Race is surprising, even ridiculous. Oxford and Cambridge are elite universities with which the vast majority of the public have neither connection nor concern. Even 70 years ago the journalist Louis T Stanley remarked that the race was “unique, the only occasion in this country of a highly specialised sport commanding an unprecedented public appeal”, one at which “spectators to whom Oxford and Cambridge could be but vague names sported Dark and Light Blue favours”. One might have thought this interest would have faded as a deferential time gave way to an egalitarian one; but it seems not. Admittedly Boat Race Night may no longer be the licensed Saturnalia it once was, a time for mayhem when, if one is to believe P G Wodehouse , Bertie Wooster and his chums from the Drones Club engaged in riot and tried to relieve policemen of their helmets.

(In which context it’s appropriate to note that the actor Hugh Laurie , who played Bertie Wooster in a TV series, also rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 race.) Yet the race itself continues to command public interest to an extent that nobody, given the change in the habits and temper of modern Britain, might have expected. The enduring public appeal of the Grand National is much easier to understand. Racing has always transcended class barriers; only Puritans are excluded, or rather exclude themselves. The Grand National is the most democratic of all racing’s events. The winning horse and owner may come from any background. In one of the first Nationals I remember in 1951, only three horses finished and the winner, Nickel Coin, owned by a farmer, was trained on a diet of eggs and stout. A goodly quality of stout, mostly Guinness, is downed at Aintree every year, though mostly not by the horses; in some of the bars and the hospitality boxes it may be mixed with champagne to make Black Velvet, which Evelyn Waugh rightly called a “sour and invigorating drink”.

Hugh Laurie, fourth from right, rowed for Cambridge in 1980 (GETTY IMAGES) It’s a common complaint of elderly people these days that they live in a country they no longer recognize; not only elderly folk indeed but the likes of Nigel Farage too. Yet in many respects modern Britain is much like the country of our youth and the generations before. The more it changes the more it’s the same thing. So the Boat Race remains what it was - even if sponsors’ logos may now be displayed. The Grand National has accommodated itself to demands that the race be made less dangerous; yet it is still dangerous and, if you are lucky enough to stand by a fence and see the horses soaring over it, a thing of wonder. Anything can happen at the Grand National (PA) A healthy society needs both a regard and respect for tradition, for what it has inherited, and a willingness, even readiness, to change and adapt to different circumstances when this seems necessary or desirable. The continuing popularity of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and the Grand National reflect this. Both events are steeped in tradition.

Both owe some of their appeal to our awareness that they have been essentially the same for a very long time - almost 200 years - held in the same place, rowed or run over the same course, even if elements of the course may have been revised. If the Boat Race was moved to Eton Dorney where the Olympic rowing events were held, it would lose its appeal: likewise the National if it was run anywhere but Aintree. Tradition matters; we are essentially a conservative people. And so the Boat Race and the Grand National confirm our sense of who we are. It’s important that they remain essentially the same, just as it’s important for every touring team to play a Test Match at Lord’s and for the Open Championship to be held every few years at St Andrews and played over the Old Course there, the home of Golf. Character bio Actor bio Dr. Gregory House is devoid of bedside manner and wouldn't even talk to his patients if he could get away with it. Dealing with his own constant physical pain, he uses a cane that seems to punctuate his acerbic, brutally honest demeanor.

While his behavior can border on antisocial, House is a maverick physician whose unconventional thinking and flawless instincts have afforded him a great deal of respect. An infectious disease specialist, he's a brilliant diagnostician who loves the challenges of the medical puzzles he must solve in order to save lives. House's roster of medical cases comprises the inexplicable ones other doctors can't solve, and he has assembled an elite team of young medical experts to help him in his effort to solve these diagnostic mysteries. Known for possessing a keen eye for the complex characters he creates as an actor and a writer, Hugh Laurie brings that talent to his work on the critically acclaimed series HOUSE. His performance on the series has garnered him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Laurie previously starred in a number of groundbreaking British television comedy series, including four seasons of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie," which he co-wrote for the BBC with Stephen Fry; three seasons of "Blackadder," written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton; and three seasons of "Saturday Live." In addition, four seasons of "Jeeves and Wooster," based on the novels of P.G.

Wodehouse, aired on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" from 1990-1995. On the big screen, Laurie was in the 20th Century Fox release "Flight of the Phoenix" opposite Dennis Quaid. Other film credits include "Peter's Friends," directed and co-starring Kenneth Branagh; "Sense and Sensibility" with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet; "Cousin Bette" with Jessica Lange; "The Man in the Iron Mask"; "101 Dalmatians"; "Stuart Little": and "Stuart Little 2" with Geena Davis. On American television, Laurie portrayed Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the network telefilm "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." He also appeared in "Tracey Takes On ..." and "Friends." In addition to acting, Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, composed and recorded numerous original songs and written articles for London's The Daily Telegraph. Four volumes of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" scripts have been published by Mandarin, and his first novel, "The Gun Seller," was published in both the UK and the U.S. to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay for MGM.

Laurie was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, where he took a degree in Anthropology. He also rowed in the University Boat Race of 1980. He was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue, where he produced "The Cellar Tapes" along with Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. The show won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival of 1981.

Question: Which actor rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 Boat Race?
Answer: HUGH LAURIE